When can their glory fade?
by TANGODOWN36OAM
Summary: An ending to Mass Effect 3 without changing anything. Shepard wakes up in London only to find that the Normandy is missing.
1. Chapter 1 Mission complete

When can their glory fade?

This is my first fan fiction, I like many fans did not like the endings to the Mass effect series. So this is my attempt to fix or clarify the endings before the extended edition, or without them depending when I post this. My Shepard was a colonist, war hero, and soldier. He was a paragon and only romanced Ashley, this ending is based on the destroy choice and a EMS of over 4000. Also I have not played From Ashes yet so there will be none of that content.

Bioware owns Mass Effect I do not seek to publish or profit from what I write blah blah blah and all that copyright crap. The title of this fic is a line from "The Charge of The Light Brigade" by Alfred Tennyson, The poem that Shepard recites at the end to Ashley.

Three choices, only three, three years of fighting came down to these next few moments. Shepard's life's work was about to be completed, the defeat of the Reapers. He already knew his choice, his goal had always been to destroy the Reapers. No fucking Star Child was going to change that. He would not give himself control of machines that could, and have wiped out all life in galaxy. No one had the right to control such a force, not even Shepard who would try to use them for good. And he sure as hell was not going to rewrite the DNA of every single living creature in the galaxy, that choice was not up to him.

No, destroy was his only option. The Reapers were a blight on the galaxy and to let them survive in any way was an insult to the memory of all who had given their lives to stop them.. But to do so he would be killing the Geth, after he had given them individual thought and creating peace between them and the Quarians. He had become friends with legion and he would be wiping out an entire race. And he would be killing EDI a good friend, even knowing that he would not be there without her. For as terrible as this was it was the best one, he regretted it but it had to be done. He hoped that one day Joker would forgive him for what he was about to do.

Shepard raised his sidearm, thinking of all of the friends he would be leaving behind, again for the last time. He would be looking down over Garrus as he raised a glass to Shepard. It seemed he wouldn't be opening that bottle of brand with Dr. Chakwas after all. No bar in Rio, no Krogan children, no Quarians without their suits on Rannoch, and no seeing the galaxy rebuilt. And no joyful reunions with the rest of his friends. He would not be seeing the fruits of his labor, but he was fine with that. No fear, he was completing his mission the one he was born for , the one that had started all those years ago.

He would soon be joining his family and friends from Mindior, those that died at Elysium and all those others he had known that had died before he was a Spectre. And then those people that were not here because of this damned war, trillions of them. And the personal ones, Jenkins, Kaiden, Presley, Mordin, Thane, Legion, and Anderson. All those good people who were gone because of the Reapers.

Then he thought of Ash, and he could the tears starting to swell. He would be putting her through that same hell for a second time. And after he had just gotten her back, and they had finally said they loved each other. The tears fell freely now, so much regret, he had wanted to marry her settle down and have the family he hadn't had in years. The only women he had ever loved was about to loose him, forever.

As he began firing he whispered "God please", please what though for her to move on and find someone else who would love her like he would have loved her. Yes, that's what he wanted , that would give him peace. He gripped his pistol with new purpose now. With both hands he began to fire faster and walk towards his destiny. As the Citadel began to explode around him, his last thoughts were of Ashley and how sorry he was, and then darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 Awake

Shepard awoke in a hospital bed of a field hospital on Earth. In a building at one point in time seemed like it may have been a office building before the war. The visible marks of the war were everywhere, holes from mass accelerator weapons and scorch marks. Outside the window, the blackened landscape and piles of rubble were filled with teams clearing road and removing bodies. A Turian soldier and Quarian marine were carrying a human body to one of the many piles that would eventually go in a large mass grave. Big Ben loomed in the distance, still standing with many visible scars of the fighting, standing tall among the buildings. Shepard thought how the buildings that would be tallest would be at least if not more like the Tower of London. The great modern skyscrapers reduced to large piles of rubble. But it could be rebuilt, London like many of the great European cities were not strangers to destruction . Wars over thousands of years have already scarred the land. Large parts of London had been destroyed and rebuilt after the Second World War. And it could be again. But London was only one of many cities like this, how much of the planet was like this? How many cities destroyed? How many billions just on Earth dead?

He was disturbed from his thinking when he noticed a woman sitting next to him reading a data pad. She had dark brown hair, his heart began racing had he just woken up from some terrible dream? "Ash" he mumbled in an inaudible voice. As she turned Shepard was disappointed that it was Miranda. Miranda leapt from her seat, "Shepard, you're awake!" she exclaimed. As she rushed over to him Shepard smiled, he was happy to see a friend. "See I told you it wasn't goodbye." said Shepard smirking. "I've never been so happy to be wrong before." she smiled.

Shepard tried to sit but was overcome with pain, "How long was I out?" he moaned. " The doctors had to put you in an artificial coma. It's been three days since The Crucible fired." "What kind of shape…" Shepard stopped mid sentence as looked down on his left leg. He saw a stump just below his left knee, "I'm sorry Shepard, when they finally dug down to you, your leg was crushed between two slabs of concrete. You also lost a finger on your left hand. When they brought you in you had a large amounts of internal bleeding, and the remains of your armor were melted to your skin. To be frank Shepard you shouldn't be alive. " she said solemnly. "Story of my life Miranda" Shepard joked. He paused for a moment, "Is it really over Miranda? Are the Reapers gone?" "Yes Shepard you've done it, everyone owes you their life. Thank you."

" Where's my crew?" asked Shepard. Miranda completely ignored the question. "Get some rest Shepard you've earned it, I will see you soon." and with that she just walked out of the room. Shepard was alone with his thoughts. Why was she not willing to answer that question, maybe, NO he would not think of that. He turned his head and his thoughts out the window.

Miranda couldn't bear to tell Shepard the truth. Once he asked the question she had to leave, she wouldn't, couldn't be the one to tell him what happened. She couldn't bare to put Shepard through that pain. She told herself she would return in a day or two once he found out.


End file.
